Latest News https://www.azmed.org/news/default.asp Sat, 13 Jun 2026 13:28:26 GMT Fri, 18 Aug 2023 18:03:00 GMT Copyright © 2023 Arizona Medical Association The Evolution of the Physician Executive https://www.azmed.org/news/news.asp?id=649323 https://www.azmed.org/news/news.asp?id=649323
 
The ideal physician leader looks different in the post-pandemic world, according to David Nash, MD, founding dean emeritus at Jefferson College of Population Health, in a recent article*.
In the early 2000s, a physician executive was a clinical expert who bridged the gap between medical and administrative staff. By 2020, however, the scope of physician leaders' responsibilities grew to include guiding decisions around finance, health technology, and strategic business partnerships, making an MBA a preferred prerequisite for many roles.
Now, in the post-pandemic world — where physicians face mounting administrative burdens and increasing rates of burnout — the role of a physician leader has evolved once again. 
In today's healthcare environment, physician executives must inspire and lead organizational change to support pillars of healthcare that physicians understand best, including physician satisfaction, performance improvement, and patient safety.
So, if the need for physician leadership is clear, what's the problem? According to Edward A. Walker, MD, instructor of ArMA's Physician Leadership Course, the uptake of formal physician leadership training hasn't kept up with the demand for physician leaders. That's despite extensive research on medical leadership, which Dr. Walker covers in depth in the video below. 👇 Watch it now to learn more!
 

 

 

 

As healthcare morphs and challenges arise that physicians are uniquely positioned to address, it is increasingly important for physicians to develop and cultivate leadership expertise intentionally.

 

ArMA's Physician Leadership Course, led by Dr. Walker, is the most convenient and cost-effective way for physicians to combine their clinical experience with leadership training. The course directly answers the needs of a post-pandemic healthcare system by covering performance improvement, patient safety, engaging physicians in change, and diversity and inclusion. Learn more about the course and the savings you receive as an ArMA member when you visit our webpage.

 

If you want to be a part of the continuing evolution of the physician executive, watch our full information session on leadership in the medical field »

 

*Source: "Who's At the Helm? The Evolving Role of the Physician Executive" by David Nash, MD, in MedPageToday.

]]> Fri, 18 Aug 2023 19:03:00 GMT 5 Key Insights on Leadership in an Independent Medical Practice from Dr. George Bradbury III https://www.azmed.org/news/news.asp?id=613965 https://www.azmed.org/news/news.asp?id=613965 On July 26, the Arizona Medical Association (ArMA) had the honor of hosting George Bradbury III, MD, during part two of our summer leadership webinar series, “4 Physician Perspectives on Transformative Leadership.” Dr. Bradbury has been impacting the practice of medicine in the Southwest since 2006, when he relocated to Tucson after serving as the division head of orthopedic surgery in St. Louis, Missouri. In his informative presentation, Dr. Bradbury outlines the important skills needed to lead in an independent medical practice. You can view Dr. Bradbury’s full presentation on ArMA’s Youtube channel »

If you don’t have time to watch Dr. Bradbury’s presentation right away, take a moment to parse through ArMA’s top five takeaways from the webinar:

 

1.Develop Your Skillset

  • Leadership isn’t just having a good head on your shoulders. It’s about continuing your education every single day. Dr. Bradbury suggests four ways you can focus on leadership:

  • Seek out course work and utilize resources from ArMA as well as specialty colleges and academies

  • Never stop reading books about business, psychology, and behavioral economics

  • Executive coaching is key to learning past the basics

  • Look for support amongst your peers; you don’t have to lead alone

2.Wear Many Hats

  •  Leading requires a whole new base level of knowledge. Developing literacy in the areas of operations, financial management, contracting with payers and vendors, cyber security, and even more are essential to developing a successful private practice. Don’t be afraid to delegate but understand the fundamentals to improve your communication.

  • The ability to transform, adapt, and create new relevance or value is what distinguishes successful organizations. Don’t reinvent the wheel but see how it turns and can propel your practice forward.

  • Leaders must engage in honest conversations about what can be gained and what can be lost: “Accounting for loss or perceived loss is critical… be honest and communicate.”

  • There is a stark difference between being an authority (manager) and being a leader: 

  • Authority is the positional, reputational, or delegated power to direct others.

  • Leadership is the activity of aligning people or teams to a shared articulated vision. 

  • Think carefully about this distinction and be self-aware of where you’re falling between the two categories.

]]> Fri, 12 Aug 2022 16:31:00 GMT 5 Key Insights on Physician Leadership from Dr. Richard Gray https://www.azmed.org/news/news.asp?id=611876 https://www.azmed.org/news/news.asp?id=611876 5 Key Insights on Physician Leadership from Dr. Richard Gray

Last week, the had the pleasure of hosting Richard Gray, MD, during part one of our summer webinar series, As CEO of Mayo Clinic in Arizona and VP of Mayo Clinic, Dr. Gray offered his incredibly valuable perspective on leading within a highly matrixed organization in a transforming health care environment. You can view Dr. Gray's full presentation on the ArMA Youtube channel here »

 

Like any good student, we absorbed every word of Dr. Gray's presentation and took detailed notes. Here are our five major takeaways from the webinar:

 

1. Remain Authentic

2. Be Aware of Organizational Tensions

  • There will always be organizational tensions at play, regardless of the setting. Leaders must be aware of these tensions and take them into consideration as they make decisions for the organization. During the webinar, Dr. Gray named three fundamental tensions that he keeps in mind: intimacy versus scale, operational excellence versus agility, and running the business versus changing the business.

  • “Leaders have to assure that there is clear vision and priorities to give certainty to others that we will have to count on… Managers know what is supposed to happen, and they make sure it gets done, but they often do it themselves and check personally that it’s done right… Leaders have to lead through others…”

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